Ripples in the Sand
by chickmooget
Summary: A young woman named Lena crash lands on the planet Gunsmoke. Meryl is unhappy about the new girl in Vash's life. AFTER SERIES.


Hello! This is Mooget speaking. If I'm new don't let it surprise you because I'm not exactly new around fanfiction.net but that isn't the point. The point is that I finally started my own fanfic and as you could guess, this is my first one! YEAH! I hope that you will be considerate and gentle but don't be afraid to tell me what could be improved. I will try to update as much as possible and your reviews are greatly appreciated! Have fun!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun or any of it's characters.

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Ripples in the Sand  
  
Chapter One: Falling Stars  
  
Lena stared into the dark blue abyss, admiring the beauty of the stars. They seemed so brilliant and bright, yet so lonely at the same time. It was almost...sad.  
  
"The stars are just like me. They are so far away," She said to Kuro her precious black cat." I like my life, but all I have ever known is this ship. I want to know what it is really like to live. Maybe I'll find a nice planet to live on someday," the black cat playfully stretched out and pawed at her hand. "And of course you will come too!" Lena laughed.  
  
Noisily the door creaked open to reveal the captain of the vessel. "Oh there you are Lena! I have been looking all over for you!"  
  
Where else would I be Daddy? It's not like I can leave the ship," She teased.  
  
"We need you to check on the plant it is behaving unnaturally," He explained, while leaving the room and shutting the door.  
  
"I wonder what happened."  
  
.::::::::::. 

Back on deck, the ship's crew was worried about approaching the nearing asteroid field. They were wondering whether the plant on this ship would have enough power to maneuver around the asteroids.  
  
"Captain I don't think we can make it around this asteroid field," Tomas pointed out.  
  
"We'll just have to go through then, and hope that Lena can fix the plant in time," A nervous crew member cried.  
  
"My daughter has always been able to fix the plant quicker than anyone else when it is faltering. I doubt she'll fail us now," explained the captain. Kuro ran gracefully at Lena's heels and easily kept up. Each second they spared the plant got worse and worse.

.::::::::::.  
  
"Come on Kuro, we have to hurry," Lena panted through long strides, "Just down this corridor to section thirteen and we're there."  
  
They rounded the corner and reached the padlocked door. Lena quickly typed in the access code and stepped inside. Energy levels were going berserk. All of the plant had an eerie glow that signified damage had been done to it.  
  
"Oh my goodness, I had no idea that plant was in such poor shape! Kuro you better go outside," exclaimed Lena, and watched Kuro scamper out, "How could the plant get in such a state as this? I don't think any of the crew could have done this." She walked over to the plant control panel and tried to fix the problem electrically.  
  
Doors of the plant were opening, revealing an orb of vibrant colors, the plant was engaged. Bars of light were streaming through the floor shining up to the orb. The floor was quaking, the walls were shaking from the abuse of the asteroids scraping the sides of the ship.  
  
.::::::::::.  
  
"Captain she can't hold much longer, there are just too many asteroids! At this rate the ship will be crushed before Lena can fix the plant!"  
  
Breathing deep the Captain spoke, "I regret putting all of you in harms way, if you wish to leave, do so now."  
  
Stone faced and with bravery unknown to the captain, the crew refused to leave the ship along with their captain.  
  
"I thank you all, but now I must save my daughter. I can't afford to lose her." With that he ran from the deck to section thirteen as fast as his old legs could carry him. Down this, hall past the next, round the turn, down the corridor to the pad locked door, guarded by a black cat.  
  
He entered the code and opened the door.  
  
"Lena!"  
  
Standing under the orb with arms outstretched, eyes closed with full attention, was his daughter, HIS daughter, not anyone elses. Limping over to Lena he broke her concentration by guiding her away from the plant and laid her down outside the plant room.  
  
As if in a trance she murmured, "You don't have to be lonely anymore...it's okay I'm with you...you can do it..."  
  
Shaking her slightly at the shoulders he ordered," Lena, LENA wake up! Please wake up!"  
  
Waking with a start she yelled, "Why? Why did you stop me?"  
  
"Because I didn't know if I was going to lose you too Lena, I already lost your mother to cancer. I can't loose you too."  
  
"I could have done it! I could have...but you...you stopped me," she slowed and tears filled her eyes just remembering her mother.  
  
A giant shudder came from the plant room and the whole ship shook.  
  
"Look Lena, the ship isn't going to make it. You have to escape."  
  
Wide eyed and red nosed she just sat there, stunned at the fact that she had to leave.  
  
"Come on we have to go," He stood up and helped to her feet. Together, along with Kuro, they made their way to room 17. Running down the corridor they entered a large room that held what looked like large white pea looking escape pods.  
  
"Lena there is something I have been meaning to tell you."  
  
Her face full of uncertainty she asked, "What is it Dad?"  
  
"I'll be straight forward. When your mother and I, well, we found you and adopted you. It was in this area actually. Right about 50 years after the seed ships left earth, your mother and I put together this crew and was able to get a ship to fix. Traveling around in space was one of the best things we ever did. While traveling we found you in what looked like a capsule when you were about 9 months in development. It must have been fate, because we found you just floating in space in that capsule which was in a deep freeze. We didn't ever find out how long you were in there or how long you had been in a deep freeze. But it didn't matter to your mother and I so we raised you as our own. We were surprised you grew up so fast! And-" Interrupted by the violent shaking of the ship he stopped, and ushered Lena, who was still in a deep state of shock, into a pod.  
  
"Wait Dad, what about you? Aren't you coming with me? I can't go alone!" Teary eyed she tried to get out but her dad had already input the course for the escape pod. The hatch was shutting with out him.  
  
"Lena take care. I love you."  
  
Seeing only through a slit in the door, she yelled, "NO DADDY! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME, I LOVE YOU!" Tears rolling down her cheeks onto her tear stained shirt, the hatch closed completely.  
  
Entering the code, her father put her in a deep sleep. Leaving the room he watched the pod shrink into the distance. Hobbling down the hall back to the main deck he wiped away his tears.

.::::::::::.  
  
On the planet Gunsmoke no one had any idea such a tragedy was happening in space. In fact the only thing that might have been attracting attention was in a small town called Sohsian, 200 isles from the city of Belair.  
  
"VASH you're back!" A short woman squealed, and ran to the man and wrapped her arms around him and squeezed.  
  
A grunt and a stifled hi could be heard from the mouth of the man. He laid down his baggage which was no ordinary baggage, in fact it was a man, who carried a striking resemblance to the man named Vash.  
  
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, I didn't know you were hurt so badly! What happened? Oh my goodness you are full of bullets!" She exclaimed.  
  
"I had to stop Knives, and the only way to stop him was to make sure he couldn't move." He explained.  
  
"Is he...I mean, he isn't..." She stepped back from the body that lay on the ground.  
  
Vash collapsed onto a bench and stared into the sky and finished her sentence, "No, he isn't dead. He is just unconscious and unable to move, at least for the time being."  
  
"You know Mr. Vash, you aren't in the best of shape either," A rather big woman commented, "You should rest and heal up."  
  
"Yea, that's right Millie!" Why are you still up Vash? You are in very bad shape and you should be in bed!" Meryl exclaimed.  
  
"I know, I know, but first I will take my brother inside before the townspeople find him and get angry." He slowly propped himself up from the bench and carried his brother inside the house. He carefully laid down his brother on a bed next to the window. He drew the curtains and looked around the cabin.  
  
Meryl had been staring at Knives as though he would sit up at any moment. Millie had made herself busy with warming water for tea and to clean the wounds when a strange sound entered the room. Confused Meryl and Millie straightened to try to figure out what the noise was. Vash ran to the door and looked into the sky.  
  
"Why hadn't I noticed it before?" he exclaimed.  
  
Baffled by Vash's question they peered out the door to see what he had been looking at. There, to the west, an object engulfed in flames was falling rapidly toward the ground.  
  
"Meryl, I need to borrow your Tompson." Vash said, which was more of a request than a question.  
  
Turning to block the door she stood in the doorway and lectured him, "But, Vash you just came back! You are in no shape to go back out there! I don't know what gives you the right to leave us when we have been waiting and worrying about you so much!"  
  
Gently he placed a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "Meryl I have to find out what crashed, it may be very important. I know that you have been very patient and have waited for me, but I have to go now." He moved Meryl aside and walked through the door.  
  
"Vash, wait!" she ran after him, lost for words she stopped.  
  
"Don't worry Meryl!" he looked back in a cheery smile, "I will be back soon!"  
  
He gathered the tether for the Tompson and was off towards the area of the impact.  
  
"Don't worry Meryl, he'll comeback."  
  
"I know he will Millie, he always does," she turned to go back into the house, "I just don't want him to get hurt more than he already is. He's very vulnerable, you never know who's going to go after him next."

.::::::::::.

Brows furrowed he ordered the animal to move faster, "Hyah! Come on, faster!"  
  
But to no avail the Tompson continued its slow drone towards the impact.  
  
"It's just you and me now. Just little old you and your bud Vash. Now, go faster!"  
  
It paused and stopped. Then dumped a load behind it.  
  
"Oh just great. I didn't want to do this but you leave me no choice old friend," He turned to the rump of the animal and gave hind quarters an almighty slap.  
  
Like being rudely awaked by a cold shower of water it shot off with a flailing Vash on its back.  
  
"YAHHH! Bad choice, bad choice..."  
  
After an exhausting trip on the back of runaway Tompson he reached the sight of the impact.  
  
There he found a massive crater with what looked like a tiny black pea shaped rock. He climbed off the Tompson and carefully skidded his way down the side of the crater.  
  
Upon closer inspection he found it was not a rock but was made of some sort of metal. Up close, it had reached the size of a small car. Circling the object he found the outline of an opening. He wiped the smooth surface the cuff of his sleeve. He removed the black soot from the window of the capsule and peered inside.  
  
"AaAHhh! It's a young lady!" he exclaimed, his eyes twinkling with excitement.  
  
True enough, inside was a beautiful young lady. She had long brownish- black hair and light yet tannish skin. She didn't move nor breathe. She looked very solemn with her eyes closed, rimmed with wet tears. When he saw this, the excitement turned into fear for her life.  
  
"She's not dead, sh-she can't be!"  
  
Nervously he tried to open the hatch. The keypad had been burnt to a crisp in the decent. Desperately he tried to open it with his bear hands but the hatch was sealed incredibly tight.  
  
"Dare I risk it?" He slowly pulled out his handgun and aimed for the hinges of the door. Truly hoping the bullet would break the hinges, but not release the cryogenic atmosphere from within. He shot once and again he tried to open the hatch with his hands. This time it hardly moved, but it did move. He shot again at the second hinge and tried to open it again. It fell to the ground with a loud thump and the gases from within poured out.  
  
When the mist lifted the young woman was released from her frozen state. Vash reached forward to support the young woman but was attacked by a little ball of black fur, that might've been a cat, which fiercely guarded her. He squatted to pet the cat but frightened by him, it bit his finger. He cringed, the little cat eventually let go, and he continued to pet the cat.  
  
Quietly the girl awoke to the sound of loud purrs. She tried to get out of the capsule but stumbled over the doorway and fell forward. Vash caught the girl and lifted the dazed girl off the ground into his arms. She looked up at him weakly and tried to say something but her throat was sore. He put her hand on her forehead and found she had an extremely high fever.  
  
He carried her over to the Tompson fallowed by the black cat. Vash set her down and was going to ask her name but she already fallen asleep from exhaustion and sickness. Vash looked at the lovely girl but...  
  
"What's this?" He looked at both of the sides of her arms had cuts from bullets, "No it went through. I-I don't believe it!"  
  
She was bleeding slightly on both arms. In his mind, Vash was punishing himself for accidentally hurting the young woman. He tore the sleeves of her shirt and used the scraps to tie around the cuts to temporarily stop the bleeding. He propped her up and and climbed on behind her. The black cat climbed on behind him and found a spot on his shoulder.  
  
Unlike on the way to the impact site, the Tompson seemed to feel the desperate need to get back to the town.  
  
"Hyah!'  
  
Burdened with two more passengers, the Tompson set of towards the little town of Sohsian where Meryl and Millie were waiting. Racing back to the town, Vash lead the Tompson through the dust storm hoping they were on the right track home.  
  
At last they reached the town of Sohsian. Vash gathered the young woman from the seat of the Tompson and carried her to the house and kicked the door open. The wind and dust rushed into the room.  
  
"Mr. Vash you're back!" welcomed Millie.  
  
Meryl looked up to greet him with a smile but the smile was replaced with the anger of him holding another woman. She angrily walked over to him and raised a hand to slap him, when he requested assistance.  
  
Millie readied the bed next to Knives and Vash ever so carefully laid the young woman on the bed. Meryl stood back not knowing what to do.  
  
Vash covered the young woman with a blanket and asked Millie to get some clean bandages. "Meryl, do you have any spare shirts?"  
  
"Hmm? Oh, uh, yes but they are really sleeping shirts."  
  
"That will be good enough." Vash turned back to the back of the room and laid on a bed next to the wall.  
  
"Uh, Vash?" Meryl waited for his answer but he had already fallen asleep. She wanted to ask but was left to ask herself who this girl was and what was she to Vash? Did Vash like her more than me? Why did Vash bring her back? What had happened between the two? 

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I hope you found my story to be okay. Please review because I know it still needs a lot of work. I think Vash was a bit too serious for my liking, but it had to be done. Forgive me people it's my first story! Please R&R.


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